Roof cost

We are often asked if we can give a budget figure for the cost of a new roof over the phone. This is incredibly difficult, as there are too many variables. Instead, we offer a prompt site survey and quotation production process.

Cost of a roof on terraced or semi-detached properties

If you trying to calculate the cost to replace entire roof, you need to know the cost by area coverage, dependent on which roofing materials you decide to use.

Most modern semi-detached or terrace homes, built since the 1980s and 90s, use concrete or clay tiles. These are often the most cost-effective way to cover a roof. If you live in a more traditional home, you will most likely want to replace like-for-like, so if you have a natural slate roof for example, you will want to reroof using a similar slate.

The way of calculating the cost to replace entire roof was by squares. This was the way thatched roofs were traditional measured. One square is equal to 10 x 10 feet, or if you prefer metric, that’s 9.29 square meters.

Roof cost by tile type

Here are some indicators of to help you calculate the cost of your new roof by tile type.

Clay double roman tiles – at 100 tiles per square, these are the most cost-effective roof covering. Clay tiles usually measure 12 inches, and the labour to reroof using them is a figure of 1.

Natural slate – you will need 172 natural slates to cover one square, using 20×10 inch slates. Therefore, your labour costs to lay a roof using natural slates will be a figure 1.7. You will also need 1.7 more batons than a clay tile roof needs.

Plain tiles – there are the smallest of all the tiles or slates. Measuring just 4×4 inches, you would need 554 tiles to cover a square. Which means your labour cost and baton requirement would be approximately 5.5 more than a clay tile roof.

Stone slate – these are a specialist roof covering, as each stone slate is selected by hand and placed in a diminishing gauge onto the roof. You usually need between 425 and 500 slates to cover a square. The final number depends on the width of the slate, as some slates are narrower than others. Although the cost of labour and batons at 5 x that of clay tiles, which is technically less than that of plain tiles, because stone slating is such a specialist craft, the overall roof replacement cost will likely be higher.

Please be aware that if your home is a listed building or in conservation area there may be restrictions on which roof coverings you can use. You will also need to consider weight loading and aesthetics before making any change to your roof.

Please read our New Roof Cost blog for examples on how to reduce the cost to replace entire roof.

Why choose West Country Tiling

Working out a roof replacement cost is a complicated art and not something you can easily do yourself. Please contact us for a detailed quote. We are experts in working with all roof coverings, including clay, concrete, stone slate, natural slate and even solar slates.

For more information on our roofing services please call us on 01373 462 224 or email us on info@westcountrytiling.com.